UC Santa Cruz student killed by tree near Yosemite

Annais Rittenberg, 21, of Santa Cruz, was killed from injuries she suffered when a tree fell on her.

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Annais Rittenberg, 21, of Santa Cruz, was killed from injuries she suffered when a tree fell on her.

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A University of California Santa Cruz student who was majoring in environmental conservation was killed by a tree near Yosemite National Park on Wednesday.

Annais Rittenberg, 21, of Santa Cruz, was killed and four others injured when a large oak tree spontaneously toppled over and fell on a group of summer camp staff members sitting around a campfire circle.

Rittenberg was working as a counselor at Camp Tawonga and had just finished her junior year at UC Santa Cruz's Porter College.

According to her Facebook page, Rittenberg grew up in New York City, moved to Santa Cruz to study at UCSC, and worked for her college's public radio station, KZSC.

Why the tree fell was unclear.

No children were around when the tree fell at 8:25 a.m. Camp Tawonga has about 300 campers and 150 staff members. The popular Jewish summer camp is located on 160 acres along Tuolumne River in the Stanislaus National Forest.

Rittenberg's mother, Penny Kreitzer, told KGO that she knew something was wrong when the camp called her.

"I said, 'Is she dead?' And he said yes. And then I lost it," Kreitzer told the station.

Four injured summer camp staffers were transported to hospitals in Sonora and Modesto, and they are expected to fully recover.

The camp continued activities as parents were informed of the tragedy.

"The campers are doing well and are participating in camp activities away from the scene," camp director Ken Kramarz wrote in a statement. "Our on-site staff therapists are working closely with first responder grief experts to help care for our community in this difficult time."

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A University of California Santa Cruz student who was majoring in environmental conservation was killed by a tree near Yosemite National Park on Wednesday. Annais Rittenberg was 21 years old.